TIRANA, Aug. 14 – The US President’s special envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia talks, Richard Grenell announced that the leaders of the two countries will meet at the White House on September 2.
According to VOA, the meeting will be hosted by National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, along with Ambassador Grenell.
“The United States is looking forward to these important discussions with President (Alexander) Vucic and Prime Minister (Abdullah). The United States believes that economic progress is essential to advancing the peace process,” a U.S. senior offical told the VOA.
Kosovo President Hashim Thaci welcomed the announcement of the September 2 meeting.
“We are grateful to the United States for the tremendous commitment to peace and stability in the region,” he wrote in a Twitter post.
The announcement was also welcomed in Belgrade, where Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the fact that economic issues will be discussed is a good thing for Serbia.
Meanwhile, the former Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, wrote that September 2 should be seen in the context of new elections in the United States.
“The former US ambassador to Berlin and the former acting of the Director of National Intelligence, Richard Grenell, loves a last-minute success in foreign policy. The day before yesterday he criticized Mr. Biden “promises that he will make the problems of the world the responsibility of the United States”, and today he himself called for negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia. Grenell is the same diplomat who said he had never seen or discussed ‘territorial exchange’.
VOAoa also reported that representatives of the European Union welcomed the initiatives of third parties to help normalize Kosovo-Serbia relations. “We welcome all initiatives in support of the dialogue mediated by the European Union. “For the EU, the United States is an important partner,” said Nabila Masrali, a spokeswoman for the European Union.
The White House meeting, mediated by Ambassador Grenell, was originally scheduled for June 27, but plans failed after the Hague-based Special Prosecution Office in Kosovo issued announced a ten-count indictment gainst Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and the chairman of the Democratic Party, Kadri Veseli, as suspects for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Grenell later said the meeting would take place at a future date.
On July 16, Kosovo Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic held their first meeting in 20 months, mediated by the European Union.
